No Trouble at All
by StarLight9
Summary: Aragorn makes an unusual request and poor Legolas is thrown into a situation he does not enjoy at all.
1. Chapter 1

_**No Trouble at All**_

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**Summary:** While Legolas is riding to Minas Tirith after a disturbing letter he had received from the King, the Elf does not suspect that he is about the have the worst day imaginable.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except a few cows and the nasty bull.

**Note: **This was written for the Teitho '24' Contest. The challenge was to write a story that focuses on 24 hours of the character's lives. It won second place. Thanks to everyone who read and voted!

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Legolas kicked at his steed's sides, urging the horse forward. The sound of hoofs hitting the ground mingled with the sound of the wind in his face, and he kicked once again, always feeling that he was going too slowly. Words from Aragorn's letter still burned in his mind, giving him no rest.

_My dear friend,_

_I have to ask you to ride to Minas Tirith with all haste. I am in great need and I need the help of someone I can trust. Come as soon as you can!_

_Aragorn_

Thousands of questions troubled the elf, making him shout to his stallion to run faster and faster. What had happened in Minas Tirith? Why did Aragorn need him? What matters could be so urgent?

Legolas had to admit that he was worried. Therefore, as soon as he saw the walls of the White City before him, he breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time his heart clenched in anticipation of the grave news he was going to hear. The elf did not wait for the stable boy to take care of his horse and jumped down and rushed forwards until he reached the gates to the seventh level. The guards let him pass him and led him to the King.

Aragorn strode forward to meet his friend, and Legolas observed that the man looked greatly relieved. "I am glad you made it," the King said. "I need your help, Legolas."

"What happened?" The elf asked immediately, still panting slightly from the exertion.

"I have a favor to ask of you," Aragorn started hesitantly. "Arwen has gone to Rivendell to visit her brothers, and I had to take care of something very important in her absence. Unfortunately, a delegation from Harad arrived yesterday and I will be busy with trade negotiation for the next day. Now I need someone I could trust completely to do it instead of me. I would have asked someone else, but-"

"What is it?" Legolas interrupted him impatiently. The elf's worry had only grown. Aragorn's reluctance to tell him the news immediately could mean nothing good.

The man paused indecisively. "I want to ask you to take care of Eldarion. It is only for a day. This time tomorrow I should be finished with all meetings and I will take care of him once again."

"You want me to look after your son?" Legolas was incredulous. His friend's letter had sounded so urgent, it had almost made his heart stop with worry, and all this had been about taking care of a six-month-old baby!

Aragorn misunderstood him and shifted guiltily. "Usually his nurse stays with him, but she has a cold now and we thought that it would be unwise to have her with Eldarion – she might be contagious and he is just a baby. I know it is much to ask, but I am sure you will manage. It is only for about twenty-four hours."

"Much to ask?" Legolas snorted. "It is not much to ask at all! Aragorn, I thought that this would be something more serious. Of course I would gladly take care of your son! Besides, I love playing with him!"

"Good!" Aragorn said, sounding clearly relieved. "Thank you, Legolas, I will never forget that! Do you want me to send some maids to help you?"

"Ah, there is no need!" The elf waived his hand dismissively. "I can easily manage with a child. Worry not, my friend, tomorrow your son will refuse to be parted from me."

The king laughed. "I am glad. I have a lot of work, so I will not be returning to the royal chambers tonight. Arwen is gone, so you have them all for yourself. You know how to care for a child, do you?"

"Certainly," the elf replied with a nod. Truth be told, he had never actually handled a child. Very few elves were born in Mirkwood after his birth, and he had been close to none of them, and so he had not met them as children. He had seen Eldarion once before and had played with the baby, and this was his entire experience with little children. But it could not be that hard, could it? A baby was just a smaller man.

Aragorn nodded with a grateful smile. "I will leave you then. If you have any trouble, call one of the maids. I will meet you again this time tomorrow. Arwen is returning in three days, and I will hand Eldarion to her then, so that if you are still in Minas Tirith I could even be able to spend some more time with you."

"I will be looking forward to that," the elf replied happily. "But right now I am looking forward to spending a day with your son.

Hour 1:

Legolas walked into the room and smiled at the baby sleeping in the cradle. This would not be hard at all. All he had to do was sit down and watch over the child. The elf yawned and relaxed in a chair next to the cradle. He was exhausted by all the worries and the wild ride to Minas Tirith, and he was just drifting into sleep, when Eldarion suddenly opened his eyes and started crying. Legolas jumped and was immediately at the little prince's side.

The elf's eyes were wide with worry as he looked over the tiny body. What was wrong with the child? He did not seem injured. Perhaps he was ill? Legolas touched the little forehead, but there were no signs of fever.

"Shh, don't cry, little one," he whispered soothingly, and took the baby in his arms, rocking him back and forth. "There is no need to cry." He started singing, but the baby's cries only intensified. Legolas' brow furrowed in confusion. Why was the child crying? Was this some strange human disease he knew nothing about?

He heard a maid passing down the corridor and quickly ran out, still holding the child in his arms. "Wait!" He cried. "You must help me!"

The maid stopped and looked at him in confusion. "Yes, my lord?"

"Prince Eldarion – he is crying!" The elf looked panicked. "I do not know why! Maybe it is some disease I know nothing about?"

The maid looked at him as if he had gone insane. "Or maybe the Prince is just hungry," she said simply. "This is the reason babies usually cry."

Legolas gasped. Of course! How come he had not thought of that before? Babies were unable to walk, so they could not go and get their own food. They were unable to talk, so they could not ask someone else to feed them. Their only choice was to cry and thus demonstrate their hunger.

The elf thanked the maid and rushed inside the royal chambers. He had to feed this child as fast as possible since his sensitive hearing was unable to bear the crying anymore. Besides, he was not sure if staying hungry was healthy for the young one. Legolas suddenly remembered that he had some _lembas_ left from the journey and smiled in relief. This would certainly feed the child fast.

He took a small piece of the elven bread and placed it in the child's mouth. Eldarion's silver eyes widened in surprise, and he spat the bite towards the elf.

Legolas blinked as the saliva-covered piece of _lembas_ hit him between the eyes. "Come now, Eldarion, I thought you were hungry. Maybe your parents do not usually feed you with this, but it is very tasty and I am sure you will like it." To illustrate his point, the elf put a bite of _lembas_ in his own mouth and ate it, twisting his face in an expression of utter pleasure and rubbing his stomach contently. "See? It is good."

He put another piece in the child's mouth. This time, however, he was prepared when Eldarion spit it out, and ducked, leaving the projectile fly over him and land on the floor. He sighed tiredly and looked through the window, noting the position of the sun. Only one hour had passed, so twenty-three more remained.

Surely he would survive twenty-three hours…

Hour 2:

As soon as Eldarion spat out the second bite, his cries intensified. The child was obviously hungry, but stubbornly refused to eat, much to the elf's dismay.

"You know how to eat, do you not?" Legolas murmured surprised. "I put the bite in your mouth, and then you chew it with your-" Suddenly the elf took a glance into the child's mouth and froze in horror. No wonder Eldarion could not eat!

The boy had no teeth!

What sort of devilry was that? Was it some terrible disease that made all teeth fall out? Legolas mustered his courage and took a closer look into the child's mouth although the view was horrible and sent shivers of terror down his back. No, his teeth had no fallen out. That would leave holes. No, it looked more as if the child's gums had grown and had covered his teeth.

Whatever the truth was, one thing was certain. Some terrible illness had befallen Eldarion, and Legolas was the first to discover it. Now it all depended on him to save Aragorn's son from a horrible and possibly painful death.

"Help!" He screamed and rushed out of the royal chambers, holding the still crying child in his arms. "Help! I need help! The prince needs a healer!"

A young servant heard him and ran to him. "What is it, my Lord?" The boy asked fearfully. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"It is not me," the elf replied urgently. "Young Prince Eldarion is suffering from a terrible disease. I need a healer immediately!"

The servant's eyes widened in worry. "Follow me, my Lord. I will take you to Ioreth. She will know what to do."

The elf and the boy ran towards the Houses of Healing as fast as their feet could carry them. They burst into the room while the elderly healer was examining a patient, and stood at the door panting.

"What are you doing here?" Ioreth asked. "Do you not see that I am working?" Her eyes shifted towards the crying child and she frowned at Legolas. "The young prince is obviously hungry. You could go and feed him instead of standing here."

"Lady Ioreth," Legolas mumbled, trying to fight his rising panic. "I… he… Prince Eldarion needs your skills! He is gravely ill and I fear that he does not have long to live!"

The old healer paled and stared at the elf. "What is wrong with him?" She quickly asked.

The elf paused briefly, hating to bring the terrifying news. "He has no teeth."

"What?!" Ioreth, the servant, and the patient screamed at the same time.

Legolas bowed his head in grief. He knew that the news would not be accepted lightly. What if it was too late? What if this was a mortal disease that had no cure? How was he going to tell Aragorn that his son was dying? Unbidden tears came to his eyes and he blinked to keep them there.

The shocked silence lasted for a few moments until the servant boy recovered first. "You mean to tell me that you made me take you to Ioreth because the prince has no teeth?"

The elf frowned. "We should not have come to Ioreth? Why? Is this beyond her skill?"

The healer stared at him and suddenly burst into laughter, much to Legolas' shock. "He is not ill!" She cried. "He has no teeth because he is six-months-old."

Legolas looked at her in confusion. What did the child's age have to do with the fact that he had no teeth? He was beginning to wonder if he had taken Eldarion to the right healer.

Ioreth understood his confusion and smiled sympathetically. "Children are always born with no teeth," she explained. "The teeth only grow when they grow older. This is normal."

The elf blinked several times in shock. Children were born with no teeth? How was he expected to know that! His gaze immediately shifted towards the bright sun, shining through the window. One more hour had passed. Twenty-two remained.

Surely he would survive twenty-two hours…

Hour 3:

"Is it not the same with elven children?" Ioreth asked.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Legolas admitted softly. "I have never seen an elven baby." Now that he knew that Eldarion was healthy, his irritation at the child's constant crying had only increased. He was sure it was unpleasant for the humans around him, but for his sensitive ears it was pure torture.

"You still need to feed him," the healer said. "And better do it soon. The poor prince looks very hungry."

"I will," the elf replied with a nod, but suddenly froze in confusion. "How can he eat if he has no teeth?" He asked.

Ioreth sighed, desperately trying to be patient. She knew that this elf, brainless as he might seem at the moment, was a friend to the king and she did not want to insult him. "Babies eat milk," she said. "Usually Queen Arwen or his nurse breastfeed him, but now that none of them is here some cow milk will do. I am sure you will find fresh milk in the kitchen."

Legolas thanked her hastily and rushed to the door. This crying had to stop. Now!

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and looked back. "Ioreth?" He whispered hesitantly.

"Yes," the healer asked impatiently.

"I would greatly appreciate it if King Elessar never learns of this little talk we had today."

Ioreth grinned. "As you wish, my Lord."

The servant and the patient chuckled and exchanged a glance. Legolas glared at them and murmured, "The same applies to you two," before leaving the room.

He could hear the wild laughter behind his back, but at the moment Eldarion's cries were much louder and he ran towards the kitchen. This child had to be fed and fast!

When he reached the kitchen a maid showed him where to find fresh milk, the correct temperature he had to heat it to, and how to feed it to a baby, and he sat down on a chair, carefully feeding Eldarion with the nutritious liquid. Finally the child stopped crying and Legolas smiled satisfied. The worst was over. If he had handled feeding the baby, he could now handle anything.

On his way back to the royal chambers he did not miss throwing a look at the window. Three hours had passed since Aragorn had handed him the child. Twenty-one more remained.

Surely he would survive twenty-one hours…

Hour 4:

Strangely, the feeding did not seem to have cheered Eldarion. The child had stopped crying, but he was not smiling either. He was simply lying in his cradle, frowning as if in pain and whimpering occasionally. Legolas was worried. Had he fed him too much milk? He had no idea how much a child was suppose to take. And if he had given him too much, what could he do now?

One thing was obvious – the child was unhappy. And the only thing Legolas could think of was try to entertain him. The elf bent over the cradle and lifted the boy. He lifted him high in the air and grinned at him. "Can you fly, Eldarion? Do you want to? Uncle Legolas can make you fly!"

The elf threw the child upwards and caught him on his way down. And then he threw him again and again, every time throwing the baby a bit higher than before. After the third time Eldarion's frown was replaced by a smile, and very soon the little prince was laughing happily.

Legolas was laughing as well. It seemed that his babysitting hardships were finally over and at last his joyful time with Eldarion was about to begin. The two princes were looking at each other laughing, their bright eyes twinkling in merriment.

And then the unthinkable happened. The poor elf was completely unprepared when he was suddenly sprayed with a dense mixture of milk and stomach acid, and almost dropped the baby. Eldarion gazed innocently at the filthy and shocked elf and laughed happily.

Legolas glared at the child. "You did that on purpose, did you not?" He asked angrily. The elf swiftly cleaned the child's face and set to cleaning himself. He desperately needed a bath. All of his clothes were covered in the sticky substance and he hastily took them off in disgust. Before he entered the adjacent bathing chamber, he realized that Eldarion was staring at him with a grin. "Now, what are you looking at?" The elf asked angrily and unsuccessfully tried not to blush. He grabbed a tower and wrapped it around his waist. "And when you learn to talk, don't you dare tell your parents that you have seen me naked!" Legolas could have sworn that the baby had winked at him conspiratorially.

The elf shook his head and opened the door to the bathing chamber. He tried to wash himself as quickly as possible so that he could still keep an eye on the child. When he came out, he looked forlornly at his dirty clothes. After receiving Aragorn's urgent letter he had left Ithilien so quickly that he had had no time to pack more clothes. The elf looked around. Perhaps he could borrow some of the king's clothes. He was sure his friend would not mind. Certainly they would be too big for him, but at least they would be clean.

He started rummaging through the closest wardrobe. "Arwen's clothes," he muttered and continued looking. "More Arwen's clothes. I am not _that_ desperate yet." He heard a chuckle behind him and turned to grin at the child before moving to the next wardrobe. "Guess what we have here, my prince. Even more Arwen's clothes! Doesn't your father have any clothes, Eldarion?" The baby did not reply, so he continued. "When I think about it, he would not need them. Especially if he has kept his old ranger habit of taking a bath once a year. Ouch!" Legolas looked down to see what had hit him. Lovely! Eldarion was now throwing his toys at him! Who would give such dangerous weapons to an insane baby? "Alright, I admit, I was exaggerating," he murmured reluctantly and went on rummaging through the piles of dresses. Occasionally he found some baby clothes, and then more dresses again.

When he opened the final wardrobe, he sighed in relief. "Ah, here they are!" Legolas put on the royal robes, which were visibly too big for him, and looked unhappily at the mirror. His expression only darkened when Eldarion started laughing at him.

The elf quickly tore his look from his reflection and gazed longingly at the sun. Four hours had passed. Only twenty remained.

Surely he could survive twenty hours…

Hour 5:

Legolas collapsed tiredly on a chair and prepared to rest, when a strong and unpleasant smell suddenly assaulted his senses. His warrior instincts made him stand up immediately and in a moment he was ready, his knives clutched tightly in his hands. What could smell so foul? Surely there were orcs nearby! But how had the filthy creatures managed to enter the city?

Just then he heard that Eldarion had started crying. Still on his guard, Legolas carefully approached the cradle. "Shh, little one, I will take care of you. I will never let those foul creatures lay their dirty hands on you. I promise."

The child did not stop crying, and the elf risked throwing him a quick glance. What he saw made him choke and drop his weapons in horror. For he had discovered the source of the smell and it was an evil that could not be defeated by any weapon known to him.

Eldarion's clothes and sheets were soaked in a yellowish liquid of unpleasant odor. Legolas closed his eyes and took a step back. This could not be happening!

The elf took a few moments to muster his courage and opened his eyes again. Then he clenched his fists in determination. He would defeat this enemy as he could defeat any other! Legolas proceeded to his task and sighed in resignation. In times such as this he cursed his superior elven senses. And why did one need the sense of smell anyway?

When the elf completed this challenging quest, he placed the now clean and blessedly asleep baby in his cradle. Legolas yawned and looked through the window once again. Five hours had passed. Only nineteen remained.

Surely he would survive nineteen hours…

Hour 6:

The elf could barely believe his good fortune. After Eldarion had fallen asleep, he had not awoken, giving him a moment of peace. And Legolas needed the peace. Most of all, he needed to take a very long and thorough bath once again. No matter how well he washed himself, the horrible smell of the yellow liquid always seemed to cling to him.

After the elf had washed himself very carefully, he put on Aragorn's clothes once again and tried to make himself look as presentable as possible. But when he sniffed the air around him, all his dreams crushed like an old ship in a stormy sea. This cursed smell was going to stay with him for days.

Legolas rubbed his tired eyes and looked at the sun. Only an hour! He had hoped that Eldarion had been asleep for a longer time. But an hour was an hour, and now only eighteen remained.

Surely he would survive eighteen hours…

Hour 7:

The exhausted elf had hoped that the baby would sleep for a longer time, but Eldarion awoke too soon for his liking. And every evil usually brings a second one along – not only did the child awake, but he immediately started crying.

Legolas examined him carefully. Nothing appeared out of order, and the experienced babysitter came to the obvious conclusion that the baby was hungry. Again. How often did that boy need to eat?

As he took Eldarion in his arms and left the royal chambers, he managed to throw a look at the sun. Seven hours had passed since he had agreed to look after his friend's son. Seventeen more remained.

Surely he would survive seventeen hours…

Hour 8:

Legolas entered the kitchen and greeted the maid he found there. "I need some fresh milk," he said. "Your young prince is hungry again."

The girl looked at him regretfully. "I am sorry my lord, but unfortunately we just ran out of milk. We are waiting for more supplies."

The elf looked dismayed. "There is no milk in the city?"

"At least not the in the palace," the maid replied. "Surely there must be plenty of milk in the city, in the people's homes."

Legolas nodded. "Do you know when the supplies will arrive?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I can say nothing for sure. They might arrive soon, or might take a few more hours."

The elf sighed. Eldarion was still crying loudly in his arms, telling him that a few hours were way too long. Where could he find milk? Perhaps he could walk through the city and knock on every door, asking people if they had any.

He was about to leave when his gaze moved to the maid and he was struck by a sudden idea. "Wait!" He cried.

"What is it?" The girl asked surprised.

"You are a woman!" Legolas said triumphantly as if he had made some important discovery.

The maid was genuinely taken aback by his words. "Yes, I have always been one," she murmured confused and somewhat offended. "How clever of you to notice!"

The elf, however, was grinning widely. "You are a woman! You can breastfeed him!" He cried happily and handed her the child.

She paled and looked at him in shock. "How dare you!" The maid hissed and slapped his cheek before storming out of the room.

Legolas held the child in his right arm and cupped his aching cheek with his left palm while gazing at the door with a hurt expression on his face. "I do not understand," he whispered. "She could have fed him."

A merry chuckle behind him made him turn around. An old man, who was cleaning the tables, was watching him with an amused look. "You do not know much about women, do you?" He asked smiling.

Legolas sighed in defeat and rocked Eldarion back and forth, trying to stop his cries. "Perhaps you could enlighten me," he said.

The servant's smile broadened. "Well, first of all, women do not have milk all the time. It is only after they have given birth to a child. Is it not the same with elven women? Perhaps you have greater control over your bodies and your women can choose when to have milk."

"To be honest, I have no idea," Legolas admitted softly.

The old man chuckled. "My boy, I see that you still have a lot to learn."

_Apparently I do_, Legolas thought bitterly. In all the centuries he had lived he had never needed to care for a baby and perhaps a ten-year-old child would do better than him! He thanked the man and left the kitchen. On his way he caught a glimpse of the sun. Sixteen more hours!

Surely he could survive sixteen hours…

Hour 9:

The elf had little luck in his search for fresh milk. He walked through the city and knocked on every door, but few were able to help him. The sun had not set yet, and many people were still outside, working in the fields, so he received no response. A kind woman he met promised him that when her husband returned with the goats tonight, she would milk them and save some for him. Unfortunately, tonight was too far away for the hungry baby in Legolas' arms.

A boy and a girl who opened one of the doors claimed to have milk, but it looked old and rotten, and the elf was fearful to give it to the child. At another house he managed to find some milk, but it was not enough to feed the hungry Eldarion and the little prince kept on crying.

Legolas sat on a bench and tiredly closed his eyes. When he opened them, he quickly closed them again to ward off the bright glare of the sun. When had the sun fallen so low? The poor child had been starving for too long! He had to find milk soon if he wanted to return the boy healthy and happy to Aragorn at the end of those fifteen hours that remained.

And he would surely survive fifteen hours…

Hour 10:

Legolas was about to knock on the next door, when he noticed something that made his heart leap in hope. It was a woman holding a little child, no more than one year of age. She had given birth recently! He shushed Eldarion and quickly approached her. "Well met, my lady! I am glad to see you."

The woman grinned and threw the elf a glance that surprisingly made him shudder in dread. "I am most glad to meet you too, my lord," she said beaming. "How can I help you?"

Legolas had the uncomfortable feeling that she was examining him from head to toe, drinking every detail. He hesitated for a brief moment, but Eldarion needed milk and he had no choice. "I see that you have a young child," he said. "This boy I have here is hungry. I was wondering if you… if you… if you could breastfeed him," he said timidly and took a step back. He could still remember the maid's reaction and was prepared to guard his cheeks.

The woman's face seemed to be shining. "I would love to, Master Elf! Come, bring him closer!" She said and her nimble fingers moved to undo the buttons of her shirt.

"Stop that!" A male voice boomed from the inside. Suddenly a flushed and angered man appeared, and he glared at Legolas, his eyes dark with rage. "What do you think you are doing with my wife?"

The startled elf's eyes widened. "You are wrong, my good man, I certainly never meant to-"

"I am not your good man and I know very well what you meant to do!" The man shouted in fury. "I saw you! You wanted my wife to take off her shirt!"

The woman was still smiling brightly and did not seem troubled by her husband's anger. "Come now, my love, no harm is done. The lad only wanted to-"

The man ignored her and moved forward, grabbing the front of Legolas' tunic and lifting him off his feet. The elf was still holding Eldarion in his arms and could not push him back. Legolas was feeling quite uncomfortable in the strange situation and was hoping that not many people would watch the scene. Unfortunately, a small crowd had already begun to gather.

"I saw you!" The man repeated. "You wanted my wife to take off her shirt!"

The elf vigorously shook his head. "I certainly never wanted her to do such a thing!" He protested.

"Silence!" The angry husband cried. "Did you not ask her to breastfeed this boy?"

"I did, but I never-"

"And how would she feed the boy without taking off her shirt?" The man snapped.

Legolas did not like where this was going. "Then I suppose I wanted her to take it off, but only to-"

"Silence!" The man shouted again and turned towards the crowd. "Did you hear that? He admitted his guilt! Shameless elf! I will complain to the King!"

Legolas gulped nervously. The last thing he needed was Aragorn to find out how exactly he was taking care of his son.

The anger in the man's eyes had only grown. "Perhaps elven women take off their shirts for every stranger," he hissed, "but the women of Gondor know how to behave properly!"

The grin on his wife's face, however, and the glances she was throwing at Legolas suggested that she had never heard the meaning of 'proper behavior'.

Her husband finally released the pale elf, who collapsed in a heap on the ground but managed to keep the baby unhurt. Eldarion had long ago stopped crying and was observing the scene with curiosity. _He is memorizing it all and will tell Aragorn everything once he learns to talk, _the elf thought in terror.

The man glared at his wife, who seemed to be melting on the spot. "Stop looking at him like that!" He said angrily.

"And how should I look at him?" The woman asked and sighed dreamily. "He has much to look at – this silky golden hair, those bottomless eyes, this porcelain face – ah! I would say he is almost as handsome as our King!"

Legolas choked and almost dropped Eldarion. He had not wanted this woman's compliments because they made him feel uncomfortable and made him want to run as far away as possible, but now she had practically insulted him! How could she compare him to this former scruffy, muddy and greasy-haired ranger! Now this was an incident Aragorn had to learn _nothing_ about!

The man liked his wife's words not much more than Legolas did, and turned to shout something at her. The elf used the moment of inattention and sprinted away.

As he left this horrible house behind him, he managed to glance at the sun. Fourteen more hours remained. Would he survive them? He was not so sure anymore…

Hour 11:

The good thing about this accident was that Eldarion had obviously forgotten his hunger and was now laughing happily. That was the _only_ good thing. In fact, the child was not only laughing, but was also occasionally smirking and throwing Legolas conspiratorial winks much to the elf's horror.

Legolas had reached a decision – he was not going to ask any more human women to feed Eldarion! He could easily get the milk of an animal, maybe a cow or a sheep, perhaps a goat. Now the elf realized that those animals would do best because they had milk all the time, while most others had only after giving birth. He should have thought of that earlier.

Surely there had to be a herd of sheep or cows somewhere nearby and he would find one to milk. Legolas rode out of the city gates and looked at the Pelennor Fields in growing dismay. This was such a vast field! Why did no one use it to graze their stock here! Where could he find cows now?

Legolas remembered that years ago a villager had told him that he preferred to graze his cows up the mountains. In this way the animals were forced to climb to reach the grass, and consequently they had less fat and more muscle, which resulted in better meat. His memory made him ride towards the White Mountains although he knew that he would have no time to reach them. There were lower hills and forests on the way, however, and he hoped to find his fortune there.

The elf was worried that if they did not find any animals soon, it would get even harder after sunset. It was summer and the day was long, but still the sun was sinking lower and lower towards the ground. Thirteen hours remained until he was to hand Eldarion back to Aragorn. He had already survived almost half of his ordeal!

Surely he would survive just thirteen more hours…

Hour 12:

For some time the elf had been suspecting that Eldarion had never been hungry at the first place and had been crying for some mysterious reason. The baby had stopped crying long ago and was now happily sucking his thumb and frequently giving Legolas' hair a strong pull.

The elf grimaced as the little prince laughed merrily and showed him triumphantly how many golden hairs he had managed to separate from the fair head. Legolas sighed. Even if the child was not so hungry now, he would definitely need milk later, so it was better to continue their search. Besides, Minas Tirith was left far behind already, and the horse was taking them further into the wilds. And although the sun was going to set soon, its sight lifted Legolas' spirits. Only half a day remained!

Surely he would survive twelve more hours…

…even though if Legolas knew what was awaiting him, he would not be so sure at all.

_**To be continued…**_

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_Thanks for reading! I'll be away in a few days and the second and final part will be posted as soon as I come back._

_The next chapter of "The Only Way to Kill the Dragon" is almost finished and is coming soon. It is called "Nightmare Come True"._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the reviews! It's time for Legolas' misfortunes to continue…_

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Hour 13:

The elf and the boy had been riding through a forest for some time, and Legolas was quite relieved when they reached a large clearing. The real reason behind his relief, however, were the numerous white, black, brown, or colorful spots his keen eyes could easily distinguish among the grass. Cows. At last.

Legolas dismounted quickly and gently placed the now sleeping Eldarion on the ground, whispering to his steed to take care of the child. Then he emptied his waterskin and walked towards the cows, planning to return it filled with milk.

He looked around, hoping to find the cowherd, but there was no one around. The elf guessed that the cows were left on their own. He wanted to leave something in return for the milk he had taken, but he would think of that later. His urgent task was to find food for Eldarion.

All cows had copper bells tied to their necks, and they were jingling merrily. Legolas smiled and walked forward. His heart was light. He had completed the task at last – he had found milk for Eldarion, and now he would feed the boy, and would return to Minas Tirith. The elf looked towards the sun and smiled triumphantly. Only eleven more hours remained.

He could easily survive just eleven more hours…

Hour 14:

Legolas immediately noticed one of the cows. It was white with large black spots and was grazing peacefully under an oak tree. The animal looked healthy and well fed, and its hair was glistening in the light of the setting sun. But what attracted the elf's attention the most was the full udder. Yes, this would be the cow to feed the king's son.

The elf crouched by the cow and called to her softly. The animal approached him trustingly and turned around, so that he could easily reach her udder. Legolas squeezed it gently and moved his waterskin in the way of the trickle of milk.

Suddenly Legolas heard a strange sound behind him. As he turned, the elf found himself staring directly into the dark eyes of a very angry cow. This cow was entirely black except for a little white spot on her forehead.

The dark eyes were shining with cold fury and the elf wondered what he had done to anger her. Perhaps she was jealous that he had preferred another one and had not chosen her to feed Eldarion. Well, he could change that perhaps. The animal looked large and healthy and probably had a lot of milk. Legolas looked down to see her udder and froze in shock.

There was something wrong with that cow. It did not have an udder. It had something else instead.

And then realization slowly struck him. This was no cow.

It was a bull.

What was a bull doing there?! The elf knew that bulls were kept separately from the cows and were brought together only for breeding. Perhaps he was there by mistake? Or perhaps he had escaped and had come to visit the cows? But all this mattered not.

What really mattered was that Legolas had picked the same cow as the bull. Ah, he was growing tired of jealous men! Certainly the bull couldn't be thinking that he could have some intentions towards this cow!

And yet, the dangerous glimmer in the bull's eyes was the same as the glimmer in the eyes of the man, when he had asked, "What do you think you are doing with my wife?"

Unfortunately, a bull was stronger than a man. And stronger than an elf. Legolas had only one option.

Run.

As he ran towards the trees, he could see the sun disappearing behind the hills. He had to return Eldarion to Aragorn in ten hours.

But at that moment Legolas doubted that he had more than an hour left to live…

Hour 15:

The elf found his way easily through the now dark forest. Often he had to jump over a log or duck to avoid a lower branch, but so far his senses had served him well. Unfortunately, he was not faster than the bull. The massive animal was gaining on him and he did not need to duck to avoid the branches since he could easily crash them with his weight.

Legolas' heart was heavy although he could not say why. And yet, he had the feeling that he had forgotten something, something important. The elf tried to remember what he had left behind, but it always eluded him and he decided to concentrate on his escape.

He could almost feel the bull's hot breath on his neck. He had to seek another escape! Legolas stretched his arms upward and grabbed a branch. Then he jumped and grabbed a higher one, and then a higher one. The branches moved to accommodate the wood-elf and soon he had reached the top of the tree. The bull stood down, glaring at him.

The elf moved his hand to wipe the sweat off his brow and looked down in relief. He had escaped. No matter how stubborn this bull was, he would give up waiting quite soon and would return to his beloved cow.

When he thought about the cow, he suddenly remembered what he had forgotten. The shock of seeing the bull had made him drop his waterskin. He had left it behind and now he was unable to feed Eldarion. But as bad as this was, it did not explain the mysterious worry in his heart. And then he realized that it was not only the milk that he had left behind. Eldarion! He had forgotten Aragorn's son!

He glanced at the stars and froze in horror. An hour ago! Eldarion had been alone for an entire hour!

Legolas could only hope that both he and the child would survive the next nine hours.

Hour 16:

The elf tried to calmly access how bad his situation was. Eldarion was left all alone, with only a horse to guard him, among the cows and probably even among some insane bulls. So far this did not sound too good. On the other hand, night had fallen and Legolas suspected that the cowherds would come to collect their stock. What would they do when they found the baby? Surely they would take Eldarion with them and would take care of him. But how would he find these people after that? The cowherds would have no way of knowing who the boy's parents were – the baby bore no signs that identified him as the King's son! And what if someone somehow learned that Eldarion was the Prince? What if someone of ill intentions learned the boy's identity and decided to use this against Gondor or the royal family? This would be even worse!

Legolas tried to control his growing panic. He had to return to Eldarion as soon as possible, but how would he escape that bull?

Just when the elf decided that his predicament could not possibly get any worse, the bull ran towards the tree and crashed his huge head into it. The tree shook and Legolas nearly lost his grip. The bull crashed into the tree again and again until a soft cracking was heard. The elf froze. If the animal continued this mindless assault, he would make the tree collapse!

Legolas looked at the trees around him. One seemed to be close enough to risk a jump, and a look downwards told him that he had nothing to lose. He jumped and managed to grab a higher branch and pull himself up. Unfortunately the bull noticed this and moved to his tree in another stubborn attempt to crash it. The elf looked wildly around. The trees were quite sparse and he could not keep jumping from tree to tree forever! He had to jump down and face the bull! Just then a cry sounded through the forest and it almost made him fall off the tree.

"Strider!"

Legolas gaped in shock. What had he just heard? Who had called?

"Strider! Can you hear me?" The same voice shouted.

Legolas tried to organize his thoughts. The voice was unfamiliar to him, but it was apparently someone who knew his friend well if he was using his ranger name. However, there was something more important than who the man was. Obviously Aragorn was in this forest. But what was the King doing here?

Legolas sighed. The answer was quite simple – Aragorn had discovered that his son was missing, had grown worried and had gone to look for the boy himself, taking his most trusted men. Apparently he had managed to follow his tracks and was now looking for him and the young prince in the woods. Legolas hoped that he would manage to get down and find Eldarion before his father did. If his friend found the boy left by himself in the wilds, the elf would never be able to face him again.

"Strider!" The voice sounded once again. "Strider, are you here?"

_I hope he is not_, Legolas thought grimly.

"Ah, here you are!" The man called again, and to the elf's horror the voice was coming from very, very close. "You love hiding from me too much."

Suddenly a tall man walked towards the tree, and the bull turned towards him, looking almost ashamed. The stranger prodded him with a stick, and the animal obediently lowered his head and moved behind his master.

Legolas frowned in surprise, but decided to use the bull's change of mood and jumped from the tree. The man looked at him and shook his head. "Ah, Strider," he said and patted the bull's head. "How many times do I need to tell you not to chase strangers like that?"

The elf stared in shock and his eyes widened until they became the size of Eldarion's little fists. "The bull's name is Strider?" He finally managed to mutter.

"Yes," the man said and proudly caressed the animal's back. "This is my finest bull! So strong, such muscular legs and a broad back! A natural leader! I wanted to name him after our good King Elessar, but I thought it would be disrespectful. But then I remembered the legends that told us how our king used to wander through the wilderness hiding behind the name 'Strider' and I thought that it would be a fitting name for my bull."

Legolas was still in shock and needed a few moments to collect himself. When he was finally ready to speak, his first question was about Eldarion. "Did you pass by the place where the cows are grazing?" He asked worriedly and the man nodded. "A child! There was a child left there! Did you see a child?"

The man nodded surprised. "Yes, I found a child. Worry not, the little boy is well, I left him with my wife and she said she would feed him with cow milk. The poor lad seemed starved. Was the child with you?"

"Yes," Legolas whispered, relieved. "My friend asked me to look after his son for a day, but when I accepted I had no idea how hard this would be."

The man smiled sincerely. "It is good to see that men and elves can be such good friends as to trust each other with their children. Come, Master Elf. My name is Ralin and I will take you back to the child." He prodded the bull with his stick once again and walked forward.

Strider followed, bowing his head as if in shame. Legolas would have almost believed him if not for the occasional moments when the bull raised his head to glare daggers at him and bowed it again before Ralin could notice.

"This is incredible," the elf muttered. "I was almost killed… by Strider! No one would ever believe me!"

"I must apologize for his behavior," the man said. "We keep him locked, but he often finds a way to escape and goes to visit the cows." He patted the bull with a grin. "Good old Strider, always ready to do anything for love."

Legolas suppressed a grin at that statement. It was a pity he would never be able to tell Aragorn of this little adventure. But he had confidently persuaded his friend that he was able to look after Eldarion by himself, and he was not about to admit that he had been wrong.

"He is quite a bit of trouble actually," Ralin continued. "Several times I have been tempted to turn him into steaks, but the cows he mates with always give birth to the best calves, and so I keep him."

While they were talking, Legolas, Ralin, and a very angry Strider reached the clearing where the elf had left Eldarion. The stars were shining brightly in the skies above, and Legolas looked at them gratefully. In only eight hours he would return the little prince to his father.

Surely he would survive eight hours…

Hour 17:

A woman was holding Eldarion in her arms, rocking him gently. Ralin walked to her and quickly explained the situation. She stood up and walked to Legolas, who was trying to stay as far away from Strider as possible.

"He is fed now, Master Elf," she said and handed him the sleeping child. "You can take him home."

"You have my gratitude," Legolas said and nodded slightly. "I will have to leave you now. This boy's father lives in Minas Tirith and it is more than an hour ride away."

The couple bid him goodbye and Legolas mounted his steed. Before he left, however, he suddenly turned and looked at the man with a slightly panicked expression. Apparently he had realized something he had forgotten before.

"Ralin, may I ask you for a big favor?" He muttered insecurely. "It is very important."

"Of course you may!" The man replied surprised.

The elf paled, then blushed, but finally found his ability to talk. "If… if ever King Elessar comes to your village… please… please tell him nothing of this."

Ralin's surprise only increased. "Why would I tell the King anything of this?"

"Ah, no particular reason," Legolas murmured, blushing more extensively. "Just in case. Please, you must promise me!"

"As you wish, I promise," the man said.

The elf smiled in gratitude and rode away. He knew not how long he had ridden in the darkness, under the bright stars and the pale moon, when the child in his arms began to stir.

Legolas looked down and was greeted by two huge and curious silver eyes. "It is good to see you again, little one," he said with a smile. "Did you have a good meal?"

Eldarion decided that the best way to respond was to once again spray the elf with a thick mixture of milk and stomach acid. Legolas froze in horror, staring in dismay at the laughing little face.

The stars above him were twinkling merrily, as if heartlessly mocking his plight. But at the same time they brought him hope as they always did – looking at them he could clearly see that only seven more hours remained until he would be parted from this little monster.

Surely he would survive seven hours…

Hour 18:

Legolas stared at his filthy clothes in dismay. He had none to change, and so his best option was to wash himself in a stream and hope that his clothes would dry during the ride. Fortunately, Eldarion's clothes were completely clean and only the child's face was covered with the sticky substance. Who said life was ever fair?

The elf started desperately looking for a river or a lake, but the darkness was not helping at all. The horrible stench coming from his clothes seemed to be constantly growing and once again Legolas cursed his superior elven senses. He was sure he did not need his sense of smell at the moment.

Just when the elf thought that he would throw up himself if he did not wash away this odor anytime soon, he spotted a small stream in the distance. Legolas urged his steed forward unable to wait even a moment more.

Eldarion did not seem to mind the mess and kept giggling happily during the ride. The sound made the elf's mood even fouler, which only seemed to increase the baby's mirth. But it was all over now. Even this horrible little monster was unable to fight the cleaning power of pure water.

Eldarion's huge eyes widened even further in horror and disapproval when the elf washed his face with a smug grin. "And now you are clean again," the melodious voice said happily. "You do not seem too cheerful. If I did not know any better, I would say that you enjoy being filthy. Now, doesn't that remind you of someone? Once upon a time I knew a ranger who was always covered with dirt and grime from head to toe. Your father would be proud of you, Eldarion! You are following in his footsteps quite well!" The elf left the clean and grumpy baby on the shore and jumped into the water to wash himself. The wonderful feeling of cleanness surrounded him and he was reluctant to leave.

When he finally crawled out of the water, the baby was glaring at him with pure rage. "I am sorry, Eldarion," the elf said. "Do not trouble yourself. Once you are in your father's care, you will have plenty of opportunities to get filthy. But now you have to bear me for a while, and you will need to live with being clean at that time. Look!" Legolas pointed upwards, noting the position of the stars. "In six hours I will be returning you to your father. Surely you can survive six hours…"

Hour 19:

The child did not seem placated, and Legolas picked him up with a sigh of resignation. The elf walked to his steed and mounted quickly. They still had almost an hour ride to Minas Tirith and they needed to hurry. Legolas yawned. Not only had he not slept during the entire time he had been caring for Eldarion, but he had spent most of the previous day riding hard from Ithilien. He had been so worried after reading Aragorn's letter that he had taken no rest. Even though he could usually go days with no sleep, the past hours had been indeed exhausting and he looked forward to handing the baby back to his friend and going to bed.

When he finally saw the gates of the White City before him, Legolas wanted to jump from his horse and kiss the ground. While he was being chased by that bull he had doubted that he would ever live to see them again.

As he walked towards the royal chambers to leave Eldarion in his cradle and change from his wet clothes, he nearly bumped into a maid. Legolas froze when he recognized her – the same one who had slapped him! He was not sure how she would react to seeing him again and took a protective step backwards. Why was she still awake anyway?

The girl, however, smiled as if nothing had happened. "Ah, Lord Legolas! There you are! I have been looking for you for hours!"

The elf blinked in surprise. "Looking for me? Why?"

"I know that you needed milk for the prince. Well, the milk supplies arrived exactly after you left! The man bringing the milk entered literary when you walked out of the door!"

Legolas froze in shock, for a moment unable to comprehend all that he had heard. And then understanding hit him with full force. All had been in vain! The desperate search for milk through the city, the crazy woman and her jealous husband, his nearly fatal encounter with the angry bull, the ride through the night covered with unbearable stench – he could have avoided all this!

His knees suddenly felt weak and Legolas realized that he was falling down. The last thing he saw were the bright stars smiling at him through the window. And 'five more hours' was his final thought before the world went black.

Hour 20:

"What is wrong with him?" The maid asked worriedly. She was holding Eldarion in her arms, looking down at the bed where the elf lay in the Houses of Healing.

"Some sudden shock has made him faint," Ioreth explained. "That in itself is nothing to worry about and he should have regained consciousness easily. The problem is that as he fell, he has hit his head on the stones on the floor. I can feel a large bump at the back of his head. Apparently he fell suddenly and nothing stopped him."

"I couldn't catch him," the girl explained. "My first concern was Prince Eldarion! I had to catch the child."

"You have done well. No one thinks you are at fault," Ioreth comforted her and opened one of the elf's eyes and brought a candle close to see if it reacted to the light. "I am trying to find out how bad it is. If he has a severe concussion, I am afraid we need to wake him up immediately. Otherwise he might lapse into a coma and never wake."

The girl gasped. "How can we awaken him?"

Ioreth was thoughtful. "The easiest way is to bring some very strong and very foul smell close to him. The shock might wake him up."

Upon hearing this, Eldarion giggled cheerfully and happily provided said smell. The maid wrinkled her nose and held the baby far away from her. She was thankful that at least the brownish substance was kept inside the child's clothes and was not spilling out, but the smell was still quite bad.

Legolas immediately bolted upright and looked wildly around. Where was this horrible stench coming from? His head was throbbing and his vision was blurry. Was he in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by stinking trolls? Only this could explain the foul smell.

"Where… am… I?" He whispered weakly and paused briefly as the words made him feel nauseous. "And how… how long… how long have I been unconscious?"

"You are in the Houses of Healing and have been sleeping for about an hour," the maid replied cheerfully and trust the child into his arms. "And now that you are awake, I am afraid the prince needs changing."

The two women smiled at each other and left the room. Legolas stared tiredly at the child in his arms, trying to control the trembling of his hands. The stench made him gag.

He had been unconscious for about an hour, the maid had said. This meant that he had been entrusted with this horrible creature twenty hours ago. Only four remained.

Surely he would survive four hours…

Hour 21:

Legolas tried to stand up but swayed unsteadily on his feet. His vision was still blurry and the world seemed to be swimming around him. The elf sat back on the bed and sighed in defeat, looking resignedly at the stinking baby in front of him.

"Why are you doing this to me, Eldarion?" He asked. "Do you hate me so much?"

The little prince put his thumb in his mouth and looked at Legolas with his huge and innocent eyes. The elf shook his head. "This look cannot fool me, little one. I know better! You are an evil creation of Morgoth, dressed in a most deceiving disguise."

Eldarion giggled and grabbed the elf's hair, pulling it forcefully. Legolas hissed in pain and tried to untangle the little fingers from his golden strands. He could stand the stench no more and walked out of the healing wing and towards the royal chambers.

The changing and washing of the baby was an experience he did not wish to remember and tried to erase all memories forever from his mind. His own clothes, which were in fact Aragorn's clothes, had dried enough, so he decided to keep them. They were obviously too large for him, but at the moment the elf could not care less about his appearance.

"What are you laughing at?" He cried at the stars, which were twinkling merrily through the window. When he noticed their position, however, the elf grinned widely. Only three hours remained until he would get rid of this curse.

Surely he would survive three hours…

Hour 22:

Legolas collapsed in a chair and yawned. He had not had a decent sleep in more than a day, and this child was draining all of his energy. There was no time to rest in the moment, however. He had to make Eldarion fall asleep, and then he could rest himself.

The elf placed the little prince in the cradle and started to sing. He sang until his throat was dry, until he had sung all lullabies he knew, and until he was drifting into sleep himself. And this horrible little creature from Mordor was lying in his cradle staring at him with silver eyes wide as ever.

The unfortunate babysitter was beginning to think that it could not get any worse when the baby started crying. The elf sighed in frustration. Apparently Eldarion was hungry again.

"You do it on purpose, do you not?" He cried angrily. "Will you never give me a moment of peace, you little son of an orc?!"

When he realized what he had just said, Legolas blushed slightly. "Eldarion," he said, calmly this time, "one day you will grow up and learn to talk. Never, do you hear me, _never_ tell your father I called you 'son of an orc'!"

Eldarion raised a little eyebrow as if asking what he would get in return. The elf glared at him. "If you do not promise me, I will not feed you and you will stay hungry!"

The baby blinked innocently and started crying even lordlier. Legolas gasped and covered his sensitive ears. This was torture!

"As you wish, I give up!" He cried angrily and picked up the baby. "We are going to have some milk, but this is the last time I am feeding you!"

As he left the room, he threw a glance through the window. The sky was not so dark anymore. A new day was coming. In two more hours he would be rid of his little tormentor.

Surely he would survive two hours…

Hour 23:

When Legolas entered the kitchen, he nearly groaned. The maid who had slapped him and who had seen him collapse was still there, cleaning one of the tables.

"Why are you not sleeping?" He asked in a yawn. Was he the only one here who needed sleep?

"Ah, watching you take care of King Elessar's son is too entertaining to miss," she replied. "Do you need anything, my lord?"

"Yes, the baby is hungry again," Legolas said, choosing to ignore the comment. "May I have some milk?"

The girl's face twisted in regret. "I am sorry, Lord Legolas, but we are out of fresh milk once again. I do not know how long it will take for the supplies to arrive."

Legolas felt his knees grow weak and the world tilted around him. His throat seemed too tight to breathe and the walls seemed to be closing around him, pressing him from all sides. This was a nightmare! It could not be happening!

It the midst of his terrifying confusion he could hear the girl's merry laughter. "My lord, I was only jesting! We have plenty of milk. I will go and fetch some. Oh, you should have seen the look on your face!"

The elf sat on a chair, his legs too weak to support him anymore. He could not feel anger at the cruel joke, he could not feel relief, nor could he feel anything else. All he could do was stare blankly as the maid brought him back the milk.

"I want to ask you something," he whispered tiredly. "Could you please promise me not to tell King Elessar a word of what happened today? And tell Ioreth to keep it a secret too."

The maid hesitated. All this was too good a story to miss, but finally she took pity on the elf. Apparently he had suffered enough so far and did not need further humiliation. "As you wish, my lord," she said and left the room.

Legolas fed the baby mechanically, and returned to the royal chambers. He was about to place the child back in the cradle when the first rays of the rising sun caught his eye. Only an hour remained!

Surely he would survive one hour…

Hour 24:

…Legolas thought hopefully. And then it happened.

Eldarion grinned at him wickedly and the elf froze. He knew that look too well. Legolas tried to duck to avoid what was coming, but it was too late. The familiar white and sticky substance was spread all over him.

The elf could only sigh resignedly. He had grown so accustomed to this situation that he could not even feel disgust anymore. And he proceeded with washing himself and the boy, a task he now knew too well.

When Legolas finally came out of the bathroom, he threw his old clothes into a bucket to be washed later and started rummaging through the royal clothes he had found earlier to find something to wear. The ones he came across were even larger than the ones he had worn before, but at that moment it mattered little. His gaze moved from Eldarion, who had finally fallen asleep in his cradle, to the sun that had risen higher above the horizon.

It was time.

-:-

There he was! He was done! Finished! This horrible, near death experience was left behind him forever! And what was even better, Aragorn would never learn of his misfortunes. He had made all servants promise that they would not say a word to the King.

Aragorn was coming his way, and the elf met his friend with a proud smile. He was on the verge of collapsing but nothing in his appearance betrayed this. "So soon?" He asked bravely. "Time flies when you are having a good time! I enjoyed looking after your son, my friend, and I am grieved to part with him, but it is time to hand him back to you."

Curiously, Aragorn appeared far more refreshed than he had been the day before as if the long meetings and negotiations had not affected him at all. Also, the King looked strangely happy, but Legolas was too exhausted and too concentrated on appearing alright to notice that. "I am glad to hear that," the man said and gazed at the sleeping child with a fond smile. So he didn't give you any trouble?"

"Oh, not at all!" Legolas said cheerfully. "It was my pleasure to look after him!"

"Good!" The King said and suddenly frowned. "Legolas, why are you wearing my clothes?"

The elf shrugged. "Ah, these clothes? I thought that Eldarion would feel more comfortable if I reminded him of his father."

"This is a fine idea," Aragorn said approvingly. "Although I am sure you would have done well anyway. I knew you would be good with children, _mellon nîn_, and such a simple task would be easy for you."

Just then Eldarion awoke and looked around in curiosity. When he spotted what he was looking for, he stretched his little hand, grasped Legolas' hair and gave it a strong pull. The elf smiled, bravely suppressing a grimace of agony.

Aragorn laughed. "I see that your prediction was right, Legolas! Eldarion liked you so much that he does not want to be parted from you."

"I do not want to be parted from him either," the elf said with a sad sigh. "Alas, I must!"

The man looked at him searchingly. "Are you sure he was not any trouble?" He asked again.

"I told you already. Looking after him was a true pleasure."

Aragorn hesitated for a moment and looked intently at his friend's eyes, as if looking for something. When he did not seem to find it, he nodded satisfied. "I am asking because I wanted to ask you to look after him for one more day. I was reluctant to ask this much of you, but if you have enjoyed it so much it should not be a problem. Legolas! Are you alright?"

The elf had suddenly paled and swayed on his feet. He swiftly managed to collect himself, however, and put on a brave smile. "Of course! I was merely surprised. But why would you need someone to care for him for one more day?"

The King sighed. "The negotiations did not go as well as planned. We did not manage to reach an agreement on certain points and will need to have a few more meetings to discuss them. I am sorry, Legolas, I have no one else to ask and you seem to be enjoying it."

The elf nodded slowly. "I see," he managed to say. "In this case I will gladly help you." A part of him was cursing his stubborn pride, but it was too weak, as weak as his entire body at the moment. And so he said the first words that came to his mind. "I will look after your son for one more day."

Aragorn looked at him carefully. "Are you sure you can do this? Did you manage to get enough sleep? Eldarion can be very demanding sometimes."

"Ah, he is not demanding with me. I can do this."

Aragorn smiled gratefully and grasped the elf's shoulders. "Thank you, my friend! I am in your debt!" He walked out, leaving the stunned elf behind.

-:-

As Aragorn left the room, he almost immediately found himself in the arms of a certain Queen who was supposed to be visiting her brothers. "How could you do this to him, _meleth nîn_?" She asked, sounding slightly reprimanding.

"I had indeed no one else to ask," the man explained. "And I needed someone to look after him at least for a day or two. Since Eldarion has been born you have done nothing but look after him except for the rare times when I have been looking after him! I needed some time with you and with you alone! I would have left him with his nurse, but since she is ill-"

Arwen put a hand over his mouth to silence him. "Shh, there is no need to give me excuses, Estel," she said with a smile. "Did I say I was complaining? On the contrary, I am most satisfied with the current arrangements."

She bent forward to kiss him and when she finally pulled back, her eyes were shining. "I am glad you found someone to take care of Eldarion," she said but a slight frown was marring her brow. "I am just worried about Legolas. He had not taken care of a child before. Are you sure he can manage? Perhaps you are asking too much of him."

"I was worried too," Aragorn admitted. "But he seems to be doing very well. He claimed that Eldarion had not been any trouble at all."

Arwen shook her head. "And you believed him so easily? You know Legolas – he would not admit any weakness. He would want to appear good at babysitting as he is good at so many other things."

"I thought so too," the King said. "And this is why I questioned all servants how he had been faring. They all said that he had done very well and had not had any trouble at all."

His wife smiled in relief. "All is well then. But I think you did not need that negotiations story. Legolas would have helped you with Eldarion even if you had told him the truth."

"True," Aragorn admitted with a smile. "But if I had done that, I would have missed the look on his face when I tell him the truth tomorrow."

"So you will tell him tomorrow?" She asked and he nodded. "Then for your sake I hope he will enjoy his second day with Eldarion."

"I also hope so," Aragorn said and pulled her forward to kiss her once again. "I hope he will enjoy his second day with Eldarion as much as he enjoyed his first."

-:-

Meanwhile, Legolas was standing in the royal chambers, staring forlornly at the bed he was sure he would not get the chance to touch although his only desire at the moment was to collapse on top of it and forget everything. His gaze moved towards the cradle, from where Eldarion was staring at him with his little lips curled into what the elf could have sworn was an evil grin. With a sigh he looked through the window, where the bright sun greeted him happily. In twenty-four hours, when the sun returned to this same position, he would hand the baby back to Aragorn.

Surely he would survive twenty-four hours…

**The End**


End file.
